Flowering Stage?

[starleafer]

I have been growing my plant for 2 plus months with 18 plus hours of light each day. Can I now put it in the flowering stage by doing 12/12 lighting, with timers and a black closet tarp to cover it for complete 12-hour black-outs? Or do I have to wait for it to show me it is ready for flowering stage? Do I stop adding nutrients and just used distilled water? Thanks, as I need all the help I can get. I am using GHP micro, grow and bloom nutrients along with hydroguard and Cal mag supplements. Also, I am growing this in a hydroponic aerogarden.

[Katzie_Wolf71]

2 months is a tad too long for vegging, usually a month and a bit is good to veg then turn to 12/12. Put it to 12/12 now and no you do not stop using nutes. Heres a feeding schedule for you to follow.

http://generalhydroponics.com/site/i...ding_schedule/

[kbag]

8 weeks veg in hydro she must be a pretty big plant starleafer any chance of putting up some pictures so we can take a look at her?

[starleafer]

kbag -- here are a few pictures I took this morning. I have done some LST a few times and have the plant growing in the shape of a bonzai tree and yesterday I trimmed out the large fan leaves.

[starleafer]

kbag -- thanks for the feeding schedule. I do have that. I've kept in veg stage because I've read it can be done --- even for years. Kept it in veg because I've been a little busy. But it is very healthy and bushy. So I want to put it into flowering now that I have some time. I just want to make sure as to whether or not to keep that schedule and start using the schedule beginning at flowering stage. I've read that others begin just water with no nutes, just the supplements. Just trying to get it right. Not to clear exactly when to begin flushing -- just water. Thanks.

[coconutisland]

Starleafer, for my schedule in hydro, I go with the expert recycling Flora Series schedule, Flora Gro drops to 2.5 ml per gallon for wks 4-8, then no more Gro... Micro stays at 7.5 ml per until week 11 at 5 ml then nothing for wk 12, Bloom increases from 7.5 to 10 to 12.5 to 15 ml, then by wk 11, it gets dropped as well, only the final week do you go with pure water, maybe 2 weeks, depends on the strain and the lights... and how comfortable you are watching your plant wither and die? With your plant being on the small side due to pruning, not sure it can handle the full strengths of that schedule, so what ever you are feeding right now, just start increasing the Bloom a little bit a week, and decrease the Gro, leave the Micro at the same level... The only supplement that you will need for the final stages are the nectar's or sugars/sweeteners/carbs... I am currently trying out a bionic aire grape because I wanted to try grape and they were out of the GH grape... You can get that in several flavors, lemon, coconut, banana etc.

As far as flushing goes, I use gro blocks and a drip system so I can set each individual plant over a tub, run a gallon of water through it, then put it back in the system... I do that weekly with all my hydro plants... The final flush is only that last week or two, when you eliminate everything and let the plant use up all of its internal nutrients. This also gets some of the chemical tastes associated with liquid nutrients, washed away. Hence the increase in sugars/flavor additives.. but even those get flushed in the final weeks. My schedule has been, week 11 (roughly) one full week on pure water in the reservoir. On week 12 (roughly) I top feed, one gallon was the last flush, but I do not refill or reconnect that plant, to the system, it is now on borrowed time... the final week, I starve the plant, only a pint or so of water per day in the end... Not sure if you need to actually do a flush with your system? As long as there are not salt rings forming around the ring of the reservoir, you should be fine?

At the end of the day, your plant looks perfectly healthy and happy, so, not making any changes to your nutrients would be the safe way to go... For instance, you could keep feeding it the Gro component, it just no longer needs such a concentration of those nutrients... Won't kill it though, just going to remain in your reservoir and in your mix... taking up PPM's of nutrients that you plant does need more of at this stage... That's why, with such a small plant, I am not really sure about leaving extra of anything in the nutrient, may be more susceptible to burn because of the size?

[starleafer]

Thanks for this coco. I will get back to you. I have purposely kept it small and bushy, and all the while LST'd it to bonsai -- the actual top is on the left of the picture and u-turns behind. Then, all the humungus fan leaves have been trimmed off, the ones without nodes. My first plant and it seems I haven't killed it no matter how much stress and strain. I will get back to you. Thanks.

[Schmokin]

Hi Starleafer
There's nothing wrong with long veg times. It can be a useful technique in places where the actual number of plants you have is an issue. With good training a single plant can produce huge yields. You look like you have lots of tops and an even canopy so I reckon you'll do alright.
My experience has been with soil rather than hydro so am not sure of your schedule, but in soil I always flushed between finishing the veg feeds and starting the flower feeds.

[starleafer]

Thanks Schmokin. I guess I did good with the LST. The tops u c r the bottom first stems that took a few weeks to turn upright. 

[starleafer]

This is what "She" looks like yesterday. I removed from vegetative stage three week on 02.23.2015 and now has been in flowering stage for two full weeks and I am seeing the pistules. Remember, this is one plant growing that I have done several LST to it to get into the shape it is now.

[Schmokin]

Looks great. What sort of lighting do you have? You may want to consider some lolipopping.

[Mega nute]

When I used to live in Colorado the guy's downstairs from me had a tree in their kitchen! I was told that it was a strain that they loved and it allowed them to get cuttings every year. The base of that plant had to be 4to5 inches around! It was sweet for sure! Mega

[starleafer]

Latest pics in flowering stage. It is now almost 3 full weeks from transition to into mid-bloom stage. Measures 20 inches tall and there are 32+ buds from what I can see and count.

[Katzie_Wolf71]

I thought you could veg a photo indefinitely if you wanted to?

Yes you can if you want a mother plant but if you plan on going to flowering stage i say 3 months is too long for vegging, but thats my personal opinion.

[starleafer]

More than 50 flowers on one side of plant now and maybe 40 on other side -- using handheld microscope now.